slugfest

Originally US, from slug (“to hit very hard”) +‎ -fest.

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slugfest (plural slugfests)

1. (baseball, slang) A baseball game in which many runs are scored, especially by home runs.

   The game turned into a 15-9 slugfest.

   • 2017 October 30, Billy Witz, “Astros Down the Dodgers in a Dramatic and Dizzying Slugfest”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     In a World Series that has come to be defined by the unpredictable and unexpected, it was only fitting that one night, after a lights-out pitchers’ duel between the heretofore unremarkable Alex Wood and Charlie Morton, a slugfest would unfold that sent the Cy Young Award winners Clayton Kershaw and Dallas Keuchel to early exits.

2. (sports, slang) A game or match in which heavy blows are exchanged.

   The championship bout was a slugfest; both boxers were bloodied.

   • 2011 September 1, Lynn Zinser, “Amid Favorites’ Easy Knockouts, Ferrero Prevails in a Lengthy Slugfest”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     But while Roger Federer and Serena Williams were bludgeoning their opponents off the main court in a combined 126 minutes, the fans looking for a fantastic match stuffed into Armstrong Stadium next door to watch a mesmerizing slugfest between seventh-seeded Gaël Monfils of France and Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain.

   • 2012 June 28, Jamie Jackson, “Wimbledon 2012: Lukas Rosol shocked by miracle win over Rafael Nadal”, in The Guardian‎:

     Nadal is supposedly the alpha male in any slugfest. But Rosol's forehand shots were being sent towards the Majorcan at 93mph plus, and his was the fastest serve at 134mph.

3. (sports or figurative, slang) A tough, heated contest.

   Lakers win slugfest over Clippers

   • 2016 May 8, Albert R. Hunt, “Trump and Clinton Campaigns Gear Up for a Slugfest”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     There isn’t much reason to be optimistic about thoughtful dialogue in this general election. Both sides are girded for a negative, no-holds-barred slugfest.

   • 2022 April 30, Jonathan Weisman, Trip Gabriel, “Once Soft-Spoken, Ohio Conservatives Embrace the Bombast”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     The race descended into a brutal slugfest as the leading candidates, the author-turned-venture capitalist J.D. Vance, the former state treasurer Josh Mandel and a self-funded businessman, Mike Gibbons, entered the final weekend before Tuesday’s primaries accusing one another of being insufficiently right-wing or disloyal to the man in Mar-a-Lago.

   • 2023 May 17, Marc Santora, Tyler Hicks, “Gains Near Bakhmut Raise Ukraine’s Hopes of a Turning Tide”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     The possible reversal of fortunes comes as Ukraine is preparing to mount a broader counteroffensive, aiming for a dramatic breakthrough in a war that has settled into a grueling slugfest, with much blood spilled but little ground gained.

• Jonathon Green (2024) “slugfest n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang